Love Escapism
by Loki.1827
Summary: Because bad luck came in three, Naruto lost his girlfriend, job and wallet all in a day. If that wasn't enough, he just had to get involved with a criminal on the run. He should just have followed that damn horoscope. SasuNaru for TKCat.
1. First Run

DISCLAIMER: Masashi Kishimoto rightfully owns Naruto and its original concepts.

Contains: Boy Loving (YAOI), Foul Language, Mentioned Criminal activities, Future lemons

Pairings: Sasuke x Naruto, possibly others.

I know I'm not supposed to start another title but I couldn't control the urge to publish this. So forgive my poor self-restraint. I just can't resist the call. Hope you will enjoy this one as well.

For the wonderful authoress **TKcat**. Thanks for the advice and the stories you write that I very much enjoy reading. And still waiting for my souvenir xD

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**Love Escapism

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**

Escapism (adj; n)

- diversion of the mind to imaginative activity as an escape from routine

Love Escapism (adj; n)

-diversion of the mind by falling madly in love with someone that you could not escape from

* * *

This is going to be a perfect day. Naruto could just feel it down to his optimistic bones.

He woke up, ate and prepared for work without the alarm clock dropping on his head, spoiled milk ruining his meal and things to trip with while dashing around in panic for work. He even had an hour before the bus he rides arrived. For once, things were going quite fine for his morning. He might even get a salary raise from his stingy boss so he could finally bring his girlfriend Hinata to an expensive restaurant for dinner.

He was confident that this would continue until the end of the day and hopefully, for the rest of his life.

Out of his good mood, he decided to check out the horoscope section for what was in store for him this day. Normally, he would skip that part over because he didn't believe in it and he always rushed towards his work. There's no harm in reading it after all.

Naruto wished that he have just ignored it; his mood turned sour and sourer as he continued to read Libra's fate for the day. So much for Lee's 'ultimate guide of youthful luck' –it was more like the ultimate guide of errors.

"It's even biased!" He skimmed over the other signs and frowned. The others were decorated with rainbow-colored sprinkles while his sign was butchered ruthlessly, cooked to ruins and served with unappetizing garnishes that even houseflies won't touch it.

He threw the paper on the floor, determined not to let his perfect-time-for-salary-raise-and-bring-girlfriend-to-expensive-restaurant day be ruined by some sort of mystical lies.

What could possibly go wrong when your day started out like this?

Astrology and fortune-tellers all spouted a bunch of crappy lies anyway. He chose to ignore the small doubt squirming at the back of his head like a stubborn, headless cockroach that refused to die. He made a small wish that this was not the calm before the storm as he headed out to his work early for the first time, stepping on the newspaper on the way.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 – Oct. 23)

The stars and the planets do not appear harmoniously for you today. Events ranging from bad to worst will occur in just about every aspect of your life. You will lose very important things and everything will fall apart.

On the brighter side, everlasting love will be found moving at the most unexpected time, in the most unexpected place and with the most unexpected person.

COLOR: Black

NUMBER: 4

**/-/-/-/-/**

LEO (July 23 – August 22)

If you have big plans for today, you better abort it. It better remain as a plan for the good of your over-all well being. Judas is lurking among your friends and not even a bag of silver and gold coins will make him change his mind.

Not all is bleak though; you'll be dragging along something worth than a million bucks –love. And this one is for keeps.

COLOR: Yellow

NUMBER: 13

"You shouldn't go on today, Sasuke-kun!"

The redheaded girl handed the newspaper to the man seated in the expensive leather couch. His sharp, dark grey eyes scanned it for the entry that the other have just read for him, and read it again. He folded the paper after reading and put it on the coffee table, disbelief obvious in his face as he looked at his subordinates.

"You're just saying that so Sasuke would stay here with you so you could molest him," Suigetsu said. He gave Karin a toothy grin before taking a sip on his water jug.

"W-what are y-you talking about? I'm n-not planning unthinkable…like raping Sasuke out of his wits!" Karin nervously fixed her glasses.

"Aha! Just as I –ack!" Suigetsu struggled to get out of Karin's choking grip. The redhead made sure that her fingers wrapped around the man's neck tightly, shaking him roughly while yelling obscenities at him. Suigetsu dropped on the floor and Karin turned it into a punch-and-kick all-you-can spree.

"Stop that. Sasuke, what should we do?"

Sasuke looked at the big orange-haired man. "I didn't know that you believed in horoscopes, Juugo."

"No, but I think it is wise to rethink our steps," Juugo said, gently petting the crow that he had on his hand.

He had a point. Smuggling firearms wasn't exactly a reliable business; you are dealing with the black market with criminals as your business partners after all. You don't know who would turn their backs on you, whether foe, friend, ally or the government officials that you pay to make the flow of things smoother. Smuggling could be compared to walking in a string with one of your eyes blindfolded –you never know when you will fall.

But Sasuke would not let a ridiculous prediction ruin what would be his biggest transaction after four years of bring in this organization. The millions that he would get out of this deal would ensure his passport to his long-deserved freedom.

"We have to continue with it. The Lotus gang wouldn't be able to ship the cargoes in time and that could ruin our reputation. The meeting is in an hour. Suigetsu, Karin break-up and secure the parameters. Juugo, get the keys."

The three nodded and quickly went on their assignments. Sasuke stood up and got the keys of his car before heading out to the meeting place.

His freedom was in the hands of Bruce Lee's fellow men.

**/-/-/-/-/**

This was the worst day ever. Naruto once heard some kind of saying that when you start your day right, you would definitely end in a perfect ten. But why was his day plagued with all the misgivings that the world could offer?

At 10 am, his best friend Kiba—ex-best friend with a big, red 'X'—told him over the phone that he was taking away Hinata over to some island that they would stay until Naruto was not angry with them. He apologized for stealing Hinata.

_'We fell in love but we didn't want to hurt you.'_

His pride was more damaged than his heart. He trusted Kiba and always thought of the guy as his own sibling that was simply born in another body. And Hinata, his shy, quiet and cute girlfriend of three years ditched him for his own best buddy. She didn't strike him as a person like that. He felt as if he was stabbed by a five-foot pole.

And then he got fired because he punched his supervisor for discreetly asking him to join in a sexual orgy. The man told him that he always found Naruto attractive and offered him a twenty percent salary increase if Naruto would agree. He gave him broken nose for a reply. Their employer didn't even listen to Naruto's side of the story before terminating his contract.

To lift his spirits, Naruto decided to drown himself in bowls of ramen at Ichiraku's, his favorite ramen bar. He took a shortcut in the shady neighborhood that normal people usually avoided because of the nasty tales surrounding it. As of the moment, he didn't to be normal. He just wanted his ramen.

Naruto suddenly bumped into someone and was about to tell him to piss off but his tongue rolled back on its own. The man was a lot bigger and broader than him, similar to those goons that the evil men in mafia movies. The scorpion tattooed to his bald head shining menacingly at the street lamp and the numerous scars on his face and body broadcasted 'I'm going to pulverize your puny human bones into powders for my soup to have that human taste'.

"It was my entire fault, mister. Please go on with your business." Naruto gulped and smiled nervously at the man, giving way to the bulky terror of a man. He quickly ran off until he was sure that the man won't see, hear and smell him.

"Man, running for your life was thirsty work. Better get something to drink," Naruto searched his pockets for his wallet but found nothing. If there was one thing that he would never, ever forget even with his short attention span, it would be his wallet. His living was literally inside it; apartment keys, ATM that contains his life savings, all sorts of identification cards like driver's license, voter's ID…

A wallet that was missing. He frantically searched for it, retracing his steps and checking out corners and non-corners for his living wallet. A full hour of fruitless search ensued.

"Oh my fucking, shitty life." Naruto was literally robbed of his life.

He should just have believed that damn horoscope. He should just have locked himself in his room, painted everything black and posted the number four all around him, anything just to have prevented this bad luck from hitting him down to the ground.

Now he had nothing. He turned all his frustration to the innocent piece of soda can and kicked it. He continued until the aluminum material curved into an alley.

"Great, I even lose a piece of stupid can," He muttered as he entered and crouched down to pick the can when he suddenly heard some shouts followed by gun shots. He looked up and saw some guy clutching a brief case running towards him, followed by men with all kinds of guns firing at his direction, at _Naruto's _direction. One bullet grazed the tip of his ear, millimeters away from making contact. His mind was already screaming red alert but his body was too numbed by shock to register his brain's commands.

They were all shouting but he didn't understand. Was this what that horoscope meant when it stated he would lose everything? Was he going to die without even tasting every ramen flavor that the world could offer? Was he going to hell for all the pranks that he did in his youth?

Too many questions sprung up but there was one thing that he was certain; he didn't want to die.

Not yet.

**/-/-/-/-/**

Everything was going on well. Sasuke nodded to the representative of the Lotus and handed him the key to the ware house where the firearms were stored while of his own men accepted the briefcase with the money. Sasuke opened the case and examined the money tied in bundles. He closed it in satisfaction.

"It was nice to dealing with you." The representative shook hands with him.

"I'm looking forward to another transaction with you, Mr. Xing," Sasuke said with a fake smile. He was about to turn around when Mr. Xing suddenly dropped dead on the cement. Before he could react, the companions of the fallen man pulled out their guns and started to rain bullets on them. Sasuke managed to avoid the shots but his subordinates weren't so lucky. Ducking, he grabbed the briefcase and made a quick dash for his safety.

He was going to be free.

He didn't expect that someone would be present. The man was simply sitting there, staring dumbly at the scene in front of him. When you hear gunshots and see men running, you should also run; not be a sitting duck and admire the view. Sasuke cursed and fixed his grip on the case he was holding before yanking the man up and dragged him by the arm and ran. It took quite a bit of time before the man struggled.

"Let me go! I won't tell anyone so don't kill me. I never saw nothing!" The blond tried to pull his own arm back, making it harder for Sasuke to run. Sasuke ignored him and even tightened his grip more, leaving bruises on the skin.

"Just leave me in a corner or something. I don't want to die. I'm only twenty-three years old!" the blond cried out.

Sasuke was having a lot of problem balancing his body and controlling his temper. How the man could run, struggle and talk all at the same time, he didn't have any idea. Either he had great multi-tasking skills or simply an idiot who could not figure out his own situation.

"Shut up. We will both be dead if you don't shut up and be still," Sasuke snapped.

He slammed the back door open and shoved both man and case inside roughly inside before rounding up to the driver's seat. He revved the engine up and drove away. He saw a car tailing them with their pursuers inside, holding their guns in place. He took many twists and turns to confuse them, his passenger stumbling at the back seat with every drive.

He should just have followed that stupid horoscope. But he won't probably have another chance at getting out of the Akatsuki because once you swore your loyalty, you were their property. He was no one's property because he belonged to himself.

"Don't just push me inside your car like luggage! I'm human, damn it." The blond winced when he was thrown against the door when Sasuke

Sasuke didn't give him a reply and focused more on his driving. He analyzed his situation and weighed his options. The penthouse was probably crawling with the Chinese mafia so he could not return there. He could not even risk contacting Suigetsu, Karin or Juugo because the call would be traced. He didn't worry much for them because he knew they could take care of themselves.

He formulated plans. He had to get another vehicle and dumped this one for obvious reasons. The Lotus gang would still be wary of the incident so they won't contact Akatsuki so they wouldn't know his face until much later. Once h shave his beard off, he will look entirely different. And get as far away as possible from Konoha; on how to do that, he'll decide later.

The only problem now was his unintended human baggage. He didn't have much time to worry about himself, much more for others he didn't even know. He could have just left the man there but he didn't want civilians involved not because he cared for them but their presence complicates things.

He looked at the front view mirror before addressing the blond idiot.

"You."

**/-/-/-/-/ **

Why can't he just have one moment of peace when no one was stealing his wallet and no one was dragging him for drives he didn't want to go? Now, he was stuck in a literal life-or-death situation with a criminal.

If he was going to die, he should probably have some last compensation, specifically three bowls of Ichiraku's super-sized bowl of miso pork ramen with extra pork toppings and beef strips. At least he would have one less regret before going to the afterlife. He was disturbed from his thoughts when his kidnapper spoke to him.

"You."

"Could you give me three bowls of Ichiraku's super-sized bowl of miso pork ramen with extra pork toppings and beef strips before you dump my lifeless body in the river later?" Naruto asked him with a straight face, intent on getting his last living wish fulfilled.

"You…are an idiot." Sasuke said with a disbelieving tone.

"I'm going to die, you insensitive asshole! Even those at the death row had their last meal before they die so why couldn't I be the same?" Naruto gritted his teeth. Can't a dying guy het his last wish and meal?

"Your mindset is lower than that of an idiot and idiot is the lowest, following imbecile and moron. All could you think is food at this time?"

"I'm being reasonable by demanding you something inexpensive before I bid this miserable world goodbye."

"Do you think I'll kill you after saving you from those men? Maybe I should've let them made you into a human dumpling stuffed with bullets."

"You dragged me and tossed me inside your car _unwillingly_, which is kidnapping, not SAVING!" Naruto was to continue his ranting when a bullet broke the rear window and through the windshield, making him duck and scream like a banshee, which a man would never, ever do. A number of bullets followed suit, hitting the windows and mirrors.

"Shit!" Sasuke said loudly.

Naruto looked up from his position on the floor and saw the man's hands were bleeding profusely from the deep gashes that the glass shards had cut him through. His grip on the steering wheel was loose, the car swerving out of the control. Naruto raised his head and saw that the China men were quickly gaining on them. Panicking, he quickly crossed to the front seat and grabbed the steering wheel from him.

"What are you doing? Give me back the wheel!"

"You can't drive with your hands like that, Beardface." Naruto said. His body was bent with his elbows leaning on the man's muscular thighs. He disregarded the searing pain that he felt from his right shoulder.

"Your bones are digging into me. Wha—!" Sasuke suddenly found himself lying flat on his back on the now reclined driver's seat. Naruto settled himself uncomfortably between the man's legs, his ass closed to the man's crotch. He really had no time to think about positions since they are on the run of their lives from the evil guys from Bruce Lee's country.

Naruto almost crashed into a tree when they fired at them again. "Do you have any specific place you want to go? Somewhere without cars and bullets?"

"Just keep on driving. We're almost out of the city proper and entering the forest." Sasuke ignored his injured hands. He could smell the gasoline leaking out of the car. "We have to get out! This car's going to blow any minute."

Naruto could not understand what he was saying. His hearing and vision were fading in and out, his mind concentrated on the pain. He felt something flowing out of his body, soaking his jacket. He might have been shot. He didn't know.

"Hey, we're heading for the cliff!"

**/-/-/-/-/**

Sasuke cursed when he saw the amount of blood staining the blond's arm. The other's movements were sluggish and Sasuke couldn't get any response from him. The car was heading straight for the cliff and if Sasuke didn't do anything, they'll die either from the explosion or the cliff.

He struggled to drag the almost limp body back to the seat and kicked the door open. He threw the briefcase first before hugging the blond, cradling his head on the crook of his head securing his arms around his waist. And hoping to all the gods listening that they survive, he readied to jump out when the car suddenly exploded.

The huge ball of fire continued to speed onwards until it crashed into the metal railings, spiraling down the cliff with all of its contents.

**/-/-/-/-/**

Naruto never felt this sore even after fighting all of seven big bullies that tortured him during elementary. He tried to snuggle into his big, warm pillow that felt a little bit harder and groaned when it moved away. His shoulder sure hurt like hell.

He tried to move again but winced. What happened to him anyway? He could feel his pillow move again

_"Stop snuggling into me. Wake up, dumbass." _

Naruto felt someone trying to push him off his comfortable moving pillow. He definitely should buy more pillows like this –it was hard but it was comfier than any other pillow that he ever had. And it talked too.

When did pillows move, talk and feel warm? Naruto opened his eyes and found a pair of annoyed black eyes staring at him.

"I'm not letting you drive again."

**/tbc.../**

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This will span for 4-5 chapters. What do you think? :3


	2. Second Run

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns the original concept of Naruto and it's characters.

I'm terribly sorry for my unforgivable disappearance. Real life has been very tough for the past few months and my brain decided not to let me write. *sighs* But again, thank you for your continued support even though I've become one of those writers who have neglected their stories, not because I wanted to, of course. I doubt if anyone still remembers me *sulks in emo corner*

Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy!

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**:Second Run:**

**.X.**

It was a small and ordinary building, with only about five floors on it, situated in the part of Konoha where most of the middle-class could be found.

A man with an orange hair and face full of piercings turned heads because he clearly didn't belong in this part of the city.

Pein walked pass the guards with the black masks standing outside the building—ANBU guards—thinking how bold and careless of that man to leave this distinct part of the police force outside. Not that he cared; he was here simply for business.

He took the stairs and stopped at the third floor, then walked until he reached the end of the floor. The man pushed the only door and entered. The room was completely bare except for the large rectangular mirror in the wall, a white plastic chair and table with a headphone. Pein quietly picked the headphone, adjusting the mike before sitting.

"You failed." The voice on the other line was deep and flat. Pein knew that he was completely seething. "Three of my men are dead and the boss of the Lotus is bent on war against Akatsuki. I thought you were supposed to take care of this?"

"You gave this project specifically to Orochimaru," Pein calmly said. "Even if he was part of the organization, I told you that his true intentions are still unknown even to me. You are the only man who knows him well enough."

"He told me that you've shown no interest in this deal."

"I wasn't informed. I already sent some of my men to rob a bank; just delay the police into coming into the scene. Some of them are also stationed at the scene to observe and act if needed."

"I'm going to send one of my own to ensure that my name is not dragged down and associated with you lots. The handling is now transferred to you, Pein. Make sure you clean the traitor."

The man nodded, knowing that the other saw him clearly through the mirror. He turned around and was greeted by the sight of a man in a mask. The newcomer removed his mask, revealing a pale, young man with a fake smile.

"Hello. My name is Sai."

**.X.**

Naruto quickly slid off his 'pillow', and he suddenly felt a stab of pain and dizziness due to the sudden movement. Groaning, he clutched on his right shoulder in hopes of alleviating the pain that made itself known with the return of his endorphin levels to normal. He felt the stickiness of his own blood and with every minute motion; his nausea keeps on getting stronger and stronger.

Naruto distracted himself by looking at the first thing he saw, which was the hands of his captor. That sight was enough to make his nausea ran away like a philandering husband who saw his wife with a butcher's knife and his father-in-law carrying a shotgun. The fingers and palms had several cuts that split the skin into half, reminding Naruto of zombies.

"You know, you definitely have to visit the hospital," Naruto said, wincing while imaging the kind of pain that the other might be in now because of the state of his own injuries. The blond didn't see any sign of discomfort on the man's face so it just could be one of two; either he had high tolerance of pain or he simply didn't have any pain receptors functioning because he was not human, which was what Naruto suspected more.

"Remove your clothes."

"What?"

"I said strip, idiot."

"What the hell are you planning? And don't call me idiot! My name's Naruto." The blond covered his chest with both of his hands and held his clothes tighter to his body. What's worst than being stuck with a criminal was being stuck with a criminal bastard whose communication skills rivaled that of a hermit's who never saw another human and mistook his own reflection for an ugly ogre in the mountain.

"Don't act like a prude. I have everything you have, probably even better." Sasuke smirked.

"I'll show you who's got a better body!" Naruto quickly unbuttoned his jacket and took it off, unmindful of the strain in his injury. His cream-colored shirt followed, only opened but not removed. His confidence faltered with the way the other man was looking at him, his black eyes staring too intently for the blond's opinion. Sasuke crouched down, the tips of his hair tickling Naruto's nose, and dragged the right part of the shirt even lower and examined the wound. Naruto felt a firm yet gentle touch on the sore area, pressing down on varying motions and area. He could smell the scent of vanilla mixed with something much stronger and Naruto found that pleasant.

Sasuke reached into his pocket and fiddled with the object for a bit. Naruto gulped when the blade of the Swiss knife gleamed menacingly in the setting sun. He was too weak to fight and his right-hand was practically useless right now but he won't go out without a fight. The blond stared at the man's crotch, deciding where to kick him when the time came; you could always get even the greatest of the men when you go by the balls. But it turned out that Beardface was looking for the penlight and directed the light towards Naruto's affected shoulder.

"It's deep but it's not bleeding as worse as I expected it to be." Naruto thanked the fast healing ability that he seemed to have. The blond's eyes almost dropped out of their sockets when he saw his branded suit jacket picked up from the ground and was suddenly shredded by the other man.

"Hey! That's a very expensive jacket you're ripping, you jackass!"

He ignored Naruto and continued shredding the fabric with the knife. Sasuke lifted the blond's left arm and ordered him to keep that position. He started tying the makeshift bandages around Naruto's torso, almost embracing him in the process. Naruto blushed at the warmth of the other man's body so near...why did he feel so hot? He was too embarrassed to be in this position; to ease that, Naruto started rambling.

"Life probably hates me big time. I've just got dragged into this stupid chase even though I didn't have anything to do with it-"

"You were sitting there like a stone waiting to be kicked. That was _your_ fault."

Naruto glared before continuing. "I'm a walking magnet for bad luck today, thrice the force that it usually attacks me with. I had to deal with a perverted supervisor, a backstabbing best friend -ex-best friend-and then got stuck with you. What's your name anyway?" It was kind of hard to talk while keeping his stupid blush away from his face and keeping his eyes open. He didn't know the man; what if he was a perverted rapist who gets off with assaulting sleeping people? It was not part of 'Naruto's Great Plans' to get his ass screwed by a badass criminal who took socializing lessons from a hermit.

"You don't need to know. Now, do me a great favor and shut up." Sasuke tied and snapped the bandage in place he got another strip and started rolling it around the other man's torso.

"I told you mine so its polite to tell me yours."

"You don't strike me as one with good manners. I think it's just as rude to force me to tell you something I don't want you to know."

"Fine! I can't wait to get out of here and go home. I miss my ramen…"

"You won't be heading home. The guys after us will certainly be in your doorsteps."

"What?" The blond was more than enraged. "Your buddies are after me now? I'm not related to your shady life! Give me back my home!" He started struggling, ignoring the pain and the tight grip on his sides as Sasuke tried to calm him down. Suddenly, the blond felt his eyes burning and he blinked, seeing black spots appearing on the edge of his sight.

Naruto's body felt heavy and he was tired, so tired of fighting against the unconsciousness that was threatening him earlier.

"I don't feel too good…" He succumbed to it and let his world fade to black.

**.X.**

Sasuke caught Naruto before the blond landed on the stony ground and break his face. He felt the burning fever that made him suspect that there was an infection. Sasuke checked the pulse and the breathing; they were both fast but they were steady in rhythm. He was more worried with the high temperature that could cause more damage than the wound itself. Going to a hospital or a clinic was out of question; once the doctors identified that the wound was caused by a bullet, the police would get involved and as far as he knew, criminals like him weren't buddies with each other and hang out in stripper clubs, unless they were the wrong kind of policemen.

Actually, the wrong ones were as dangerous as well. The Lotus gang and the Akatsuki surely informed their henchmen in the legal department and sooner or later, both police and criminals would be after them. Abandoning Naruto was not a choice either; even if Sasuke was a criminal, he didn't kill innocent people, especially the ones that seemed to attract trouble whether by choice or idiocy itself. The blond was worth more trouble than Sasuke's mind could handle –why did he pick him up again?

His body just moved on its own. As stupid as it sounds, that was what happened—maybe he needed to check the motor connections on his brain. Sasuke sighed and removed his denim jacket, draping it on the blond before standing up. He needed to find some source of water to alleviate the temperature.

Sasuke scouted the area, using his ears for the sound of streams and his eyes for a reflection. His senses were hooned to be sharper than an average person so walking in the night wasn't a problem for him; Akatsuki didn't and wouldn't settle for less after all. Luckily, Sasuke found a stream about ten minutes away from their earlier location.

He went back to Naruto and carried the blond bridal-style, before heading back to where the stream was. Surprisingly, Naruto didn't weigh too heavy and he noticed that there was a bit of disparity between their heights, probably by two inches or so.

He removed his jacket and laid it over the unconscious blond to prevent the cold from getting to him set the limp body against a tree before going back to the small body of water and soaked his own handkerchief in it, planning to use it as a rag to wipe the fever down. He stood watch, rechecking the temperature, wetting the rag when it became dry.

Naruto's temperature fluctuated, going from sky high to bottom low and Sasuke couldn't even risk biting the lure of Morpheus for the worry of losing the man in the fever. He now changed the cloth every ten minutes, keeping an eye on his wristwatch to track the time.

Sasuke was now debating whether to take the man to the hospital when finally at about 3 am, the fever settled down. But he still kept his eyes open until the sun had risen and he was finally satisfied with the temperature. His hand traveled to from Naruto's forehead to the scarred cheeks, feeling the dents in them, as if they were carved on. It was a contrast to the softness of the skin on his face, which was free from stubble and other imperfections.

Naruto had a bright blond, spiky hair that went well with the tan tone of his skin, making him look more like a foreigner than Japanese. Sasuke traced the contours of the blond's face and decided that sleeping Naruto looked good, with his mouth shut and all…Sasuke might have actually tried to hit on him—Naruto's lips looked so full and inviting…if he just kept his mouth shut.

What would he taste like? Just a little bit more and he'll know—The lack of sleep was definitely getting on him. Sasuke pulled away before his lips even made contact with Naruto's. Shit, he was really tired and it was making him act more out of his character. He fixed the jacket covering the blond before resting himself in a tree a few inches from where the blond lay. He crossed his arms before closing his eyes; the last thought running on his mind was setting up a check-up for his motor nerves to see if they were delivering the right information on the command center.

The sound of grass being stepped on disturbed him. He grabbed his gun and waited in full alert.

**.X.**

Naruto groaned as the glare of the morning sun hit him on the face, breaking his somewhat peaceful sleep. He pulled the comforter up to his face and scooted far away from the window, sighing as his back hit the warm wall. The blond sighed and started to drift off once again when the wall behind him shifted; making his sleepiness ran away in a mad dash to the safety of his subconscious.

Walls are supposed to be cold and hard and immobile; not warm and moving and wrapping its nonexistent arms around your waist. Naruto counted one to three before turning around and peeking out the comforter's safety, his face just inches away from the sleeping Beardface. Of course, the only thing to do was to kick the sleeping person out of the bed and scoot until your back reaches the actual, solid wall.

"What the fuck's your problem?" The other man rubbed his forehead, glaring at Naruto for the very rude (and painful) wake up. He didn't want to start the day with his face meeting with the floor heads-on.

"You-! You are my freaking problem! Howe dare you...you..."

An eyebrow rose in question. "How dare me what?"

"Do what you did to me. You...you..." Naruto really didn't want to continue on talking.

"Oh?" Sasuke smirked, finally getting what the other man was saying. He stood up and slowly walked towards the bed, leaning too closely to Naruto's face. "But you weren't complaining last night," he said in a low, almost seductive voice. Naruto kicked him again, this time in hitting his abdomen.

"You…you filthy criminal! Get away from me! I don't want to do anything with you."

The amusement from those eyes disappeared and Naruto realized that he should just have kept his mouth shut. Sasuke stood up and suddenly yanked the blond's right arm, making Naruto yelp in pain because of his injury. His other hand went to the blond's neck, his fingers taking hold of it dangerously. Sasuke leaned closer until they met eye-to-eye.

Naruto felt the dangerous aura that surrounded the man and he could not help but feel fear. The fingers around his neck flexed, loosening and tightening, threatening him that his life was in one hand.

"Listen well, you shit," The fingers tightened once again, making the swallowing of air more difficult, "I know you don't like me—the feeling's quite mutual—but you should be careful on what you say. You are with a _filthy criminal_; don't force me to add your body to the ones I've already disposed."

His body was turning limp and his mind was going into that dangerous swerve again. He didn't want to die but his body was betraying him, falling into a state that he thought he already had forgotten. He noticed that the other man's harsh expression turned confused as he met Naruto's eyes.

Then the hand was gone. Beardface turned his back and picked up his clothes before leaving the room. Naruto let out the breath he was holding—he didn't know if it was a sigh of relief or it was just because he was deprived of breathing normally for some minutes.

So maybe he did have the habit of letting his mouth run before his brain cells could; that doesn't give the man to threaten him…right?

"I don't understand him. And I think I don't want to learn anything about or from him."

The blond decided to survey his current location. Everything in here was made of wood, reminding him of pictures of log cabins. The room he was in was small, with little decorations but Naruto felt the semblance of being at a place that real people lived in here, not just people who used it as a place for sleeping. He found his ruined shirt and pants folded neatly on a chair.

Naruto saw that he was still in his boxers and aside from hid stinging injury, his body felt normal. Why did he even assume _that? _He did owe the man his life, in some kind of twisted way he guessed. He had to apologize.

"Are you feeling fine now?"

A young woman stood in the open doorway carrying a first-aid kit. Naruto nodded dumbly, staring as she entered the room. She was probably younger than him with a snow-like complexion and a very beautiful face. As she came nearer, Naruto noticed the distinct lack of chest and the presence of Adam's apple.

"You're a boy?" He blurted out, blushing in embarrassment with his mistake. The other person just gave out a small _masculine _laugh and set out the kit on the bedside table. "Sorry!"

"Don't worry, I get that a lot. I'm Haku. Zabuza brought both of you here during his early morning rounds."

"I'm Naruto. Nice to meet you."

"Your friend Sasuke-san introduced us while you were unconscious. I need to check your wound and change your bandages-could you move closer to the edge?"

So, Beardface's name was Sasuke. Did their friendship develop during sometime in the blond's sleep?

"You're lucky that the hunter only injured your shoulder and didn't kill you," Haku said as he gently wrapped the gauze on the afflicted part. "This forest is full of dangerous things and people, Naruto-kun."

There was an underlying meaning in those words. Having no clues on what Sasuke the Beard told the kind boy (man?), he just chose a neutral answer. "Guess I had to learn the hard way."

"Done! The wound's healing fine on itself although it will be painful to move for a while. Here is something to change to."

The blond accepted the folded clothes and the other left to give him some privacy. Haku was quite a likeable guy and Naruto could see himself being good friends with him. He hurriedly put the clothes on and readied himself for apologizing for his tactlessness.

Maybe later. No one could give an apology with a very empty, ramen-deprived stomach after all.

**.X.**

Sasuke washed the lather off his face and patted it dry with a small, clean towel. Instead of the strong-looking bearded man, a much younger face stared back at him from the mirror. The last time he saw his normal face was more than two years ago; with all of the dangers involved in his job, looking normal and attractive weren't in the options.

He shouldn't have snapped at the blond for that comment—he had heard more insults (curses) from the people he killed—but he had. His conversation with Naruto was probably the most normal he had since he joined Akatsuki. For a while, he forgot that he lived in the dangerous shadows.

And he remembered people don't' trust criminals. They were lawless and menaces of the structured society, and whatever the reasons, motives behind committing their unforgivable actions didn't matter—they were criminals. With that feeling of temporary normalcy, he forgot that the 'normal' people don't see the people behind the title of criminals.

Naruto won't care for the reason he chose to walk this path, his sole reason he chose to walk this path. It was the reason why good turns into evil and sanity turns into madness—vengeance. Akatsuki was just a stepping stone for him to fulfill his goal, although that stone turned out to be so sharp that it wounded his feet.

For three years, he learned that the best way to survive and deal with the underworld is to throw your humanity away. Regret, remorse—they have no place in this kind of life; you do these things because you chose to go down this road of life.

Why was he getting so worked up about a simple argument? Sure, he felt physical attraction for the blond but that shouldn't make him mull over his life this seriously. There was also that expression when he threatened the blond. Naruto looked as if he was ready to die.

He finished up and changed into the spare clothes given to him. He was about to put on the plain shirt when Sasuke threw the garment, grabbed his gun and turned around, pointing the barrel in the middle of the forehead of Haku, who was holding his arms up in placating manner.

Sasuke drew his weapon down. "Why are you here?"

"I was about to tell you that breakfast is ready but I guessed I surprised you. Sorry about that; Naruto-kun is already at the table waiting." Haku said, giving him a small smile before leaving the bathroom. "Oh and Sasuke-kun? You shouldn't be waving dangerous things around the here—you might kill someone, worst, yourself."

He finally left. Sasuke frowned, his forehead creasing as he looked at the retreating back of the other man, his mind mulling over those last words. There was something familiar—deadly—about Haku and Zabuza, his instincts honed by his now-former life telling him that they were dangerous.

And just what he needed—another thing to worry about when he already had Naruto who was already the equivalent of a 30-foot tsunami in terms of troublesome. Next, he'll be leotard-wearing superhero who wears his underwear outside saving people from the wrath of the rabid bunnies.

How he loved his life. And sarcasm too.

**.X.**

Meanwhile, a crowd had already gathered in the accident area along with the policemen scattered around that arrived two hours after the incident.

"What happened here?"

"A car fell down from to the sea and blew up in mid-air. I heard it was some kind of hold up-robbery, which is probably true from all the money that had been scattered here."

"But that's not what I heard!" The two bystanders that were talking turned to see the source of interruption, looking at the man with great interest.

"This was actually a failed elopement. The boy was a member of some gang and the girl was a daughter of a wealthy government official. Of course, dad was against his little girl's choice, all that reputation and heaven and earth gap. So the two planned to leave with the guy planning to steal money from one of his group's deal to fund it; somehow, their plan was intercepted."

Kakashi covered his laughter with a cough so he wouldn't appear to be so rude; he couldn't help but laugh at the story. It sounded so nice and romantic, which is not usually the cases he dealt with.

The police was crawling all over the place, examining every square inch of the area and interviewing seemingly plausible witnesses. The white-haired man reluctantly closed the orange pocketbook that he was holding to do what he was sent here to do—to meddle and mess with the police force's ego.

Kakashi ducked down to cross under the yellow marker with the words "Police Line: Do Not Cross", ignoring the gasps and squawks of both the police and bystanders and entered the crime scene. He immediately took note of how the money didn't have any tire marks, the bullets positioning mostly forward instead of backwards and how every police was focused more in the area rather than finding any survivor or corpse from the crash. So the part about some wealthy official might have some truth in it.

"Sir, excuse me!" He turned to the source of that voice and found one of the officers running towards him. "Civilians are not allowed to enter. I insist you must leave immediately."

Kakashi smiled at the brunet and walked to where the officer who was in charge of the crime scene with the other officer still behind him, still trying to get him to leave.

The chief investigator had a scowl on his face when he saw Kakashi approaching, muttering something about meddling ANBU before offering a reluctant salute to him.

He wasted no time. "Situation?"

"A hold-up robbery in a bank in Kunai District. Vehicles of the robber were the blue Toyota Corolla that fell and the other was an unidentified black car. Bullets are being sent to the ballistics lab along. The bank owner confirmed that it was their money and the identification of the assailant's car."

"Good enough. I wonder why I had to be sent here if you folks already have everything covered." Kakashi sighed and retrieved his Icha-Icha Paradise novelette. Damn guidelines.

"Sir!"The brunet from before saluted. "There were no survivors found. Should I order retrieval for the corpses?"

"Don't bother. We were sent here to collect the money and so some superficial investigation."

"But—"

"Umino," The overweight investigator growled. "I already told no and I'm not going to waste any more time to search for dead criminals."

Umino had a very disapproving look on his face but still maintained his cool and saluted to the lazy pig of an officer. He admired the determination that the other man had, remembering his own passion for his work before he got jaded with the ugliness it came with. He hoped that the brunet remained the same; God knows they needed more honest officials with the crocodiles already seated at the position.

"You're not a civilian, are you?" The officer addressed him.

"No, he's part of that ANBU." Umino's superior answered him. "Hatake Kakashi, head of Strategies and also part of their forensic division." He spat out the words bitterly.

Well, there was no love lost between the police force and the ANBU. ANBU started out as division under the police to solve the rather difficult cases that involved city officials until it evolved into a separate body that became rivals with the law officers. Although, he really didn't care; his presence here was merely for show that the ANBU is doing its job. Kakashi had done his job and he wanted no part of this anymore.

Another police arrived, handing an item that Kakashi would've ignore if it wasn't so familiar. Without much thought, he came towards them and grabbed the plastic that contained it, confirming his suspicions.

It was a necklace with three crystal gems shaped like prisms with one large in the middle and two smaller ones on both sides. The smaller gem in the right side had some chips in it—he perfectly knew how it got there and also knew the person who gave it to the young blond that he also knew inside and out. And to add to his many knowing, he also knew that Tsunade will be in a hissy fit when she discovers on what kind of trouble Naruto had gotten into—what kind exactly, Kakashi had to find out.

"Tsunade will kill me," the man groaned. "Maybe I could tell her Naruto eloped…"

**.X.**

"There were no bodies found."Sai reported as he walked away from the scene, removing his wig.

_"Which means that boy is still alive. Some of the survivors from the Lotus gang told me that he had a blond accomplish."_

"I'll be glad to find and get rid of them for you."

The only answer he got was the click, signaling the end of the conversation. He could translate that as a yes…he really wasn't sure because people-reading was not his forte.

He'd rather have them dead and expressionless.

* * *

** .tbc.**

* * *

See who decided to show himself again. Once again, I am all apologies and I hope all understand. I still love writing so it was really frustrating when I'm holding a pen and I can't write anything.

Thank you.


End file.
